A continuing trend to achieve an efficient farming operation and to decrease manual labor provides the need for efficient and capable agricultural machinery. One type of agricultural machinery is used to harvest crop material such as hay, straw, grass or the like.
An agricultural baler (hereinafter referred to as a “baler”) is a widely used piece of mobile equipment which collects and compresses the crop material as it travels over the ground to produce a compact unit of crop, commonly referred to as a bale. The baler may comprise a motorized machine driven by an operator or, alternatively, may comprise a wheeled frame adapted for traveling alongside or behind a tractor. Typically, a baler is a wheeled chassis adapted for hitched connection to a tractor to be towed in tandem behind the tractor. After the baler forms a bale, a cord, such as wire or twine, is tied around the bale to hold the bale together in its compressed form. The baler ejects the tied bales periodically from a bale chamber of a baler as the baler travels over the ground. Each ejected bale may be directly discharged either to a bale accumulator or to the ground for later pick up by a bale collector in order to make the harvesting of the crop material more efficient and to decrease manual labor. Bales provided by either the bale accumulator or the bale collector may then be deposited on a vehicle, such as a tractor trailer, for hauling to another location for storage.
A bale accumulator is a widely used piece of mobile equipment which may comprise a part of a baler or, alternatively, may comprise a wheeled chassis adapted for traveling alongside or behind a baler. Typically, a bale accumulator is a wheeled chassis adapted for hitched connection to a baler to be towed in tandem behind the baler. Examples of conventional bale accumulators are disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,272,352, 4,310,275, 4,215,964 and 4,961,679. A bale accumulator is normally arranged to receive a plurality of successive bales as they eject from the bale chamber of the baler and to accumulate the received bales into a group or parcel of accumulated bales for temporary storage. The group of accumulated bales may then be discharged onto the ground in an ordered array permitting mechanical recovery thereof or, otherwise, be mechanically removed from the bale accumulator.
A bale collector is a widely used piece of mobile equipment which may comprise a motorized machine driven by an operator or, alternatively, may comprise a wheeled chassis adapted for traveling alongside or behind a tractor. Typically, a bale collector is a motorized machine driven by an operator. The bale collector is normally arranged to pick up individual bales from the ground and to accumulate the retrieved bales into a group or parcel of collected for temporary storage. The group of collected bales may then be discharged onto the ground in an ordered array permitting mechanical recovery thereof or, otherwise, be mechanically removed from the bale collector.
Since the phrases “bale accumulator” and “bale collector” are sometimes referred to interchangeably in the agricultural industry, the present invention generally refers to both pieces of equipment as a bale accumulator in the sense that both pieces of equipment receive and store bales. Therefore, it is contemplated that the present invention may be used on a bale collector as well as the bale accumulator, as described hereinabove.
Bales vary in size and shape according to the type of baler used to form the bales. The types of balers generally include rectangular balers and round balers. Some rectangular balers form so-called small-sized bales measuring about 36 cm×46 cm×31 cm to 132 cm and weighing 18 kg to 27 kg. Other rectangular balers form so-called medium-sized bales measuring about 80 cm×87 cm×up to 249 cm and weighing 300 to 600 kg. An example of a rectangular baler forming medium-sized bales is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,525,991. Still other rectangular balers form so-called large-sized bales measuring about 118 cm×127 by up to 274 cm and weighing up to 1000 kg. Examples of rectangular balers forming large-sized bales are disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,034,543 and 4,307,528. Some round balers form so-called cylindrical-sized bales measuring about 1.75 m in diameter×1.75 m long and weighing 450 kg to 675 kg.
The bale accumulator of the present invention is particularly well-suited for use in conjunction with rectangular balers producing the medium-sized bales. However, it will be apparent from the description and claims that follow that the principles of the present invention are not limited to bale accumulators for rectangular balers producing medium-sized bales. The present invention may be utilized with great effectiveness in conjunction with rectangular balers producing the large-sized bales, rectangular balers producing the small-sized bales as well as round balers producing the cylindrical-sized bales.
U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,961,679 and 4,955,774 each disclose an agricultural bale accumulator having a bale-transfer and bale-turning mechanism attached to one side of a chassis and an extension table pivotally attached to an opposite side of the chassis. The extension table is moveable between a horizontal bale accumulating position and a vertical transport position. The extension table and a main bale-receiving table, supported by the chassis, form a load bed for accumulating thereon up to four medium sized bales. The extension table can accommodate one bale when located in the horizontal operative position. When the extension table is attached to the chassis, an additional castor wheel is provided on a main axle supporting the chassis in order to accommodate the extra load that can be accumulated on the extension table. Bales received on one side of the load bed are turned 90 degrees and transferred across the load bed. The bales are discharged using a bale-discharge conveyor that pushes the bales accumulated on the load bed off the load bed to the ground.
However, U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,961,679 and 4,955,774 do not disclose a support system which contacts the extension table at a location beyond a side of a chassis to which the extension table is attached. Therefore, the extension table does not have any direct support for a bale accumulated thereon from either the chassis or the ground. A lack of direct support for the extension table places all the stress due to the weight of a bale on the hinge which may weaken or break over time under normally rigorous field conditions. These patents also do not disclose attaching the extension table to the main bale-receiving table. These patents also do not disclose a bale discharge module for moving the main bale-receiving table between a bale accumulating position and bale discharging position, wherein the main bale-receiving table is in a horizontal position and an inclined position, respectively, relative to the chassis. Therefore, these patents do not teach or suggest a need for supporting an extension table, at a location beyond a side of the load bed to which the extension table is attached, when the extension table is in the unstowed position and when the load bed is in a bale accumulating position and/or a bale discharging position relative to a main frame.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,844,675 discloses an agricultural bale accumulator having a center table, a right table and a left table. The center table receives large-sized bales from a bale chamber of a baler. A push bar pushes a bale on the center table to the right or left table. The right and left tables are provided with associated extensions which appear to have a width dimension approximately equal to one third a width dimension of each of the right and left tables. A hinge connects each extension to its associated table so that it may be moved between a transport and storage position on a top surface of its associated table and an unfolded position coplanar with its associated table. When an extension is in its transport and storage position, a sensor is actuated to give a false indication that a bale in on its associated table. The sensor provides a control signal to the push bar to prevent movement of the push bar toward that table thereby preventing damage to the push bar that would result if a bale were moved onto a table whose extension is folded to the transport and storage position. The right and left tables are pivotally mounted on their frames between a bale accumulating position and a bale discharging position so that when the tables are unlatched they tilt downwardly at the rear of the tables under the weight of the bale to permit a bale carried thereon to slide to the ground as the bale accumulator continues its forward movement. When the weight of the bale is removed from a table a spring pulls the table back to its latched position.
However, U.S. Pat. No. 4,844,675 does not disclose a purpose for the extensions when unfolded to a position coplanar with the associated tables. Since the extensions appear to have a width dimension approximately equal to one third a width dimension of each of the right and left tables, it is clear that each of the extensions cannot accumulate an additional large bale. This patent also does not disclose a support system that contacts the extension at a location beyond the side of the table to which the extension is attached. Therefore, the extension does not have any direct support for a partial bale that may be accumulated thereon from either a main frame or the ground. A lack of direct support for the extension places all the stress due to the weight of a partial bale on the hinge that may weaken or break over time under normally rigorous field conditions. Further, this patent does not teach or suggest a need for supporting the extension, at a location beyond the side of the table to which the extension is attached, when the extension is in the unstowed position and when the table is in the bale accumulating position and/or the bale discharging position.
Hoelscher, Inc., located at 312 S. Main, P.O Box 195, Bushton, Kans., U.S.A., 67427, manufactures a bale accumulator Model 1030 having a load bed pivotally mounted to a main frame. The load bed includes a center table and two side tables on opposite sides of the center table. The bale accumulator bale has a carrying capacity of three total bales on each of the three tables and a bale dumping capacity of two of the three total bales from the two side tables. The center table continuously receives bales from a bale chamber of a baler during while baling and is not permitted to dump any bales. The two side tables dump the two bales by pivoting about a pivot axis between a bale accumulating position and a bale discharging position, wherein the two side tables are in a horizontal position and an inclined position, respectively, relative to the main frame.
However, Holescher's bale accumulator Model 1030 is limited to a bale accumulation capacity of three bales and to a bale discharge capacity of two bales. Holescher's bale accumulator does not have an extension table connected to a load bed and moveable relative to the load bed between a stowed position and an unstowed position, wherein the extension table is substantially co-planar with the load bed and adjacent to the side of the load bed when the extension table is in the unstowed position to permit the extension table to accumulate thereon an additional bale. Therefore, Holescher's bale accumulator Model 1030 cannot accumulate more than three bales.
Recently, Case IH Corporation, located at 700 State Street, Racine, Wis., Ill., 53404, U.S.A., introduced a bale accumulator Model 8576 having a load bed pivotally mounted to a main frame. The load bed includes a center table and two side tables on opposite sides of the center table. The two side tables each have an extension table pivotally attached a longitudinal side thereof and moveable between a stowed, road transport position and an unstowed, bale accumulating position. The bale accumulator Model 8576 has a bale has a carrying capacity of five total bales on each of the three tables and the two extension tables and a bale dumping capacity of four of the five total bales from the two side tables and the two extension tables. The center table continuously receives bales from a bale chamber of a baler during while baling and is not permitted to dump any bales. The two side tables and the two extension tables dump the two bales by pivoting, about a pivot axis mounted on the main frame, from a bale accumulating position to a bale discharging position, wherein the two side tables are in a horizontal position and an inclined position, respectively, relative to the main frame.
Further, GB 2 297 944A publication discloses, at page 3, line 19 to page 4, line 11: “a bale accumulator having a central fixed bale-receiving surface 6 mounted on a main frame 1. Alongside the central fixed bale-receiving surface 6 are mounted two tipping surfaces 7, each having an inner portion 7a and an outer portion 7b pivotally connected thereto so as to be pivotable between a working position, in which the inner and outer portions 7a and 7b lie in the same plane so as to form between them a single secondary bale-receiving surface, and a transport position, in which the outer portions 7b extend generally vertically from the inner portions 7a. The pivoting of the outer portions 7b is achieved by means of extended side frame members 8 connected through pivots 9 to the front and rear of the respective inner portions 7a. In the transport position, the extended side frame members 8 come into contact with stop members 10 extending from the main frame 1 when they have passed just over the top dead center position, so that they are held in position without need for locking devices. The outer portions 7b are readily manually pivoted outwardly and downwardly to their operative positions without the need for any power assistance. However, should it be desired to provide power lifting and lowering of the outer portions 7b, this could readily be achieved by means of hydraulic rams or the like extending between the outer and inner portions, for example.” The bale accumulator has a bale has a carrying capacity of three total bales (one on the central fixed bale-receiving surface 6 and one each on the two tipping surfaces 7) and a bale discharge capacity of two of the three total bales from the two tipping surfaces 7.
However, each one of Case IH Corporation's bale accumulator Model 8576 and the GB 2 297 944A publication does not disclose a support system which contacts the extension table, at a location beyond the side of the load bed to which the extension table is attached, when the extension table is in the unstowed position and when the load bed is in the bale accumulating position and/or the bale discharging position. Therefore, the extension table does not have any direct support for a bale that may be accumulated thereon from either a main frame or the ground. A lack of direct support for the extension table places all the stress due to the weight of a bale on a hinge that may weaken or break over time under normally rigorous field conditions.
U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,961,679 and 4,955,774, 4,844,675, Case IH Corporation's bale accumulator Model 8576, and GB 2 297 944A each teach only one extension table pivotally attached to one side of the chassis, load bed, load bed and load bed, respectively. These references do not teach or suggest attaching additional extension tables to the one extension table or supporting the one extension table in combination with any additional extension tables. Further, each of these references teaches a hinged connection between the extension table and the load bed.
Accordingly, there is a need for an agricultural bale accumulator that overcomes the disadvantages of the agricultural bale accumulators described hereinabove.